Magelonidae, Cunningham & Ramage, 1888

Weigert, Anne & Bleidorn, Christoph, 2016, Current status of annelid phylogeny, Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) 16 (2), pp. 345-362 : 351

Magelonidae

Like Chaetopteridae , Magelonidae were considered as part of Spionida within Canalipalpata based on morphological characters ( Rouse and Fauchald 1997, 1998). The few conducted molecular studies could not substantiate this position, placing them either with outgroups like Brachiopoda and Mollusca or in close relationship to various annelids like Orbiniidae and Scolecida ( Bleidorn et al. 2003b; Rousset et al. 2004; Rousset et al. 2007; Zrzavy et al. 2009). In the latest phylogenomic study, a robust placement at the base of the annelid tree together with Oweniidae could be achieved ( Weigert et al. 2014). This close relationship is additionally supported by morphological characters like the presence of a monociliated epidermis and lack of nuchal organs ( Capa et al. 2012).